Atlanta Society category interest

The best and worst cities for dogs were determined based on several factors important to dogs and their owners, lumped into three categories: dog friendliness, dog walkability, and pet health.

The score for “dog friendliness” included the number of pet activities, dog-friendly restaurants and dog-friendly apartments per capita. The “dog walkability” score includes the number of days per year a dog can comfortably play outside and dog parks per capita. Lastly, the “pet health” rank refers to the availability and affordability of veterinary care in each city.

So, how dog-friendly is your city? The table below shows the complete ranking.

The most dog-friendly cities were based on seven key metrics, all of which determine how enjoyable a city would be for an active dog that enjoys being in your company. To better understand how cities performed across these metrics, we’ve highlighted two of the top factors below.

Number of Dog-Friendly Restaurants Per Capita

More than 44% of Americans eat out at least once a week, while 25% eat out at least two days a week, according to a recent survey. Assuming you spend roughly two hours at a restaurant, that’s two to four hours away from your dog every time you enjoy a meal out — unless you can take them with you. Cities that had more dog-friendly restaurants scored higher in our methodology than those that didn’t.

Two Florida cities rank well (potentially due to more outdoor dining options), while the cities with the fewest dog-friendly restaurants per capita span five different states.

Vet Care Considerations

One metric that may not be your dog’s favorite, but may be the most important of all is veterinary care.

Whether they like it or not, dogs need to pay a visit to the vet every once in a while. And when we say pay a visit, we mean it: Vet care is one of the biggest costs of dog ownership.

To find the most dog-friendly cities, we grouped two veterinary-care features under the umbrella of “pet health” — number of veterinary services per 100,000 people and average veterinary costs for annual check-ups and vaccines. The graphic below features the five best and worst cities ranked on the accessibility of pet health care.

These rankings weren’t all too surprising. Oklahoma was determined as the most affordable state to own a dog based on a recent MarketWatch Guides study, with Kentucky and Idaho also both ranked in the top 15 most affordable in that study. Affordable pet health care was a big determining factor in these affordability rankings.

In that same study, we determined the Golden State is the most expensive state to own a dog, mostly because it has the highest vet care costs and pet insurance premiums.

As an added bonus for your pooch, we thought it would be fun to check out metrics for some things that dogs typically love (though these metrics are not included in our overall rankings). As such, we looked at each city’s number of squirrels per square mile and number of Starbucks per capita — for those famed pup cups, of course.

Number of Squirrels per Square Mile

Many dogs love chasing squirrels. Not surprisingly, East Coast cities were more likely to have more squirrels (with San Francisco as an exception), while West and Southwestern cities with desert-like climates took a hit in this category (chasing a roadrunner isn’t quite the same).

Twenty cities tied in last place for having an insignificant or nonexistent squirrel population. The five largest of these cities (by population) are listed in the graphic above. No squirrels were harmed in the creation of these rankings.

Number of Pup Cups Per Capita

Your dog deserves their treats, and pup cups are all the rage. While many coffee shops offer free pup cups (espresso-shot-sized cups filled with whipped cream), Starbucks is the chain that first went viral for the secret menu item for dogs, also called “Puppuccinos.” Atlanta, Ga., and Seattle, Wash., (home to the first Starbucks) rank first and second, respectively, for where your furry friend has better access to the sweet treats.